Tanzania's incredible Serengeti and Ngorongoro national parks are home to more game animals than anywhere in the world, and it is in Tanzania that we find the physical soul of Africa, the towering Mt. Kilimanjaro. Off Tanzania's coast, in the Indian Ocean, are the lush forests and poetic citadels of Zanzibar, an island which has changed little since its heyday as East Africa's primary gateway and trading post.

For those who wish to safari in style, South Africa has some marvelously developed parks. The Kalahari Gemsbrook and Kruger national parks are some of the richest and most accessible in Africa. The landscape of South Africa is also known for its variety, offering many options for adventure.

Its Biblical sites have drawn spiritual pilgrims through the wadis and the waters of the Sinai Peninsula for nearly 2,000 years, but Sinai today is anything but the barren prison it was for Moses and the Isrealites. For scuba divers, in fact, the coral reefs of the Red Sea are an absolute paradise.

Namibia, with its grand coastal desert and Kaoko Veld, is a land of breathtaking landscapes. In the north of the country is the famous birdwatcher's mecca, Etosha National Park.

A trekker's paradise with four magnificent ranges of the Atlas mountains, Morocco also harbors the urban adventures of Fes and Marakesh, cities that entrance the soul with their serpentine alleyways and arabesque skylines.

Timbuktu, the legendary city on the banks of the Niger River, rose up on the gold and ivory trade, and it was once the richest city in Africa. Today, an especially attractive aspect of Mali is its cultural wealth, which is perhaps most visible in the masterful artwork of its native people, the Dogon.

The queen of safari, Kenya is by far the most popular safari destination in the world. Its national parks are as exceptional as their reputations, and the Maasai Mara marks the beginning of the immense serengeti, known for its cats and colossal herds of migrating wildebeest. Kenya also blesses trekkers with the continent's second highest mountain, Mt. Kenya.

The seat of the powerful Ashanti empire and the cornerstone of the gold, slave, and ivory trade, Ghana was especially coveted for years by imperial Europe, and every country with a navy seems to have left a fort behind. Cote d'Ivoire, more off the beaten path, is especially renowned for its Senoufo and Dan people, both of which produce some of Africa's finest craft work.

Cote d'Ivoire, more off the beaten path, is especially renowned for its Senoufo and Dan people, both of which produce some of Africa's finest craft work.

Botswana's Kalahari desert is home to one of the Africa's most unique cultures, the resourceful bushmen who have lived there for thousands of years. More of a plain than a desert, the Kalahari is an optimum safari region.